Looks like im moving to melbourne! now the question is single speed commuter or build up a cheapish ribble bike with SRAM rival for commuting. Im certainly looking forward to getting into some more road and crit racing and CX racing is on the cards also. Anyway excited to go to the city of great coffee and the brunswick street vege cafe with the best chocolate cake in the world.

Welcome... I hope you enjoy your stay. I'm biased, but I love the joint. It's not ranked in the top 5 worlds most livable cities for nuthin'

My feeling is that a single speed fixie will fit right in if you are around Brunswick or the other coffee sipping central locals around town. But my personal preference would be for a roadie with some gears...

Not sure were we are going to live yet, we have a dog so mid city probably is not an option, maybe preston area, although i would love to live in Belgrave the wife is trying to get work at the Mercy and I have gone for a Job at the Alfred so hopefully all comes together, looking forward to having more racing options and getting into some Cyclocross racing too. Im not really a big city person in general, but i do love Melbourne.

iaintas wrote:Not sure were we are going to live yet, we have a dog so mid city probably is not an option, maybe preston area, although i would love to live in Belgrave the wife is trying to get work at the Mercy and I have gone for a Job at the Alfred so hopefully all comes together, looking forward to having more racing options and getting into some Cyclocross racing too. Im not really a big city person in general, but i do love Melbourne.

If you move to Belgrave, I hope you like your climbing Plenty of hills around here

Mid city isn't too much of a problem if you research and choose a place with parks nearby - eg. if there is something suitable in your price range around Yarra Bend/Studley Park it is a great park and I see lots of dogs being walked in there (not to mention the Main Yarra Trail runs through it and there are some sections you could use for cyclocross).

Fawkner Park or Albert Park are also big parks (and closer to the Alfred) although you may be looking at more expensive prices and I don't believe bike riding is encouraged in those parks.

^ You're allowed to ride through Fawkner Park, but there are still many people who walk their dogs off-leash when it isn't permitted, so you have to watch out for that.

iaintas wrote:maybe preston area, although i would love to live in Belgrave the wife is trying to get work at the Mercy and I have gone for a Job at the Alfred

Belgrave is a nice place, but pretty far from the Alfred and the Mercy... Commuting that far on a daily basis would certainly test your mettle!

In terms of price/convenience, I'd probably look somewhere between Pascoe Vale and Fairfield. The blocks are reasonable sizes and better value than most property south of the Yarra river, while being within reasonable distance of your workplaces.

rkelsen wrote:In terms of price/convenience, I'd probably look somewhere between Pascoe Vale and Fairfield. The blocks are reasonable sizes and better value than most property south of the Yarra river, while being within reasonable distance of your workplaces.

rkelsen wrote:In terms of price/convenience, I'd probably look somewhere between Pascoe Vale and Fairfield. The blocks are reasonable sizes and better value than most property south of the Yarra river, while being within reasonable distance of your workplaces.

We moved to Coburg for that reason; decent sized blocks with a bit of a yard for the dog, dog walking areas, and distance to work (I'm at St Vincent's, my Wife's at the Austin; The Alfred is a fair trek from here though).

I've been in Ringwood North since Nov 2011 and have enjoyed it. My round-trip commute is 60.5km daily, but I'm used to it. It's an ideal location for starting hill-climbing rides, being <15km from Mt Dandenong, 45km from Kinglake Central and 57km from Warburton , so naturally I've ridden to those 3 places on numerous occasions.

yeah i would be pretty happy with a 40-45km round trip commute, but the +1 would drive, she is can work at the Mercy and Womens and Monash hospitals so it limits it to the eastern side of the city a bit. Im going to Alfred or stay at home dad!

VRE wrote:I've been in Ringwood North since Nov 2011 and have enjoyed it. My round-trip commute is 60.5km daily, but I'm used to it. It's an ideal location for starting hill-climbing rides, being <15km from Mt Dandenong, 45km from Kinglake Central and 57km from Warburton , so naturally I've ridden to those 3 places on numerous occasions.

Apologies for the OT post.. how do you usually get to Warburton? I've gone via Gembrook but it means 180km return (from Blackburn). Also returned via the Warburton Hwy on Sunday but wasn't thrilled with it trafficwise.

VRE wrote:I've been in Ringwood North since Nov 2011 and have enjoyed it. My round-trip commute is 60.5km daily, but I'm used to it. It's an ideal location for starting hill-climbing rides, being <15km from Mt Dandenong, 45km from Kinglake Central and 57km from Warburton , so naturally I've ridden to those 3 places on numerous occasions.

Apologies for the OT post.. how do you usually get to Warburton? I've gone via Gembrook but it means 180km return (from Blackburn). Also returned via the Warburton Hwy on Sunday but wasn't thrilled with it trafficwise.

Via Maroondah Hwy to Lilydale, then the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail, so 40 of the 57km is off-road (and very tranquil and relaxing). Road bikes can be used on the trail, provided you're prepared to get them a bit dusty.

jamesn184 wrote:I have a flat run pretty much to and from Caroline springs

To the CBD? What sorta time do you make? I've got a workmate from Burnside and I'm sick enough of his whinging about being stuck in traffic to tell him he'd get there faster burning fat.

The best time I've done is 44mins 30seconds and that was leaving home at 3:45pm for a afternoon shift, the average time is around 51minsBare in mind I ride along Ballarat rd then along Dynon Rd and up Victoria st... Ballarat rd is not for the average joe sometimes

I've ridden it a more than a few times from the Ring Rd inbound and copped big scares most times, I'd go 30 kms out of my way to avoid the Duke-Ashley section. Much prefer the Kororoit ck trail to Forest St then South Rd, Essex then Dynon or Footscray Rds to Dudley

...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.London Boy 29/12/2011

I've ridden it a more than a few times from the Ring Rd inbound and copped big scares most times, I'd go 30 kms out of my way to avoid the Duke-Ashley section. Much prefer the Kororoit ck trail to Forest St then South Rd, Essex then Dynon or Footscray Rds to Dudley

I've had a few close shaves, to name a few.. but generally I have no drama'sI ride along there Monday/Tuesday nights (AT) midnight and Sat/Sun mornings around 05:00. I've done a few rides into work around 17:00 and had no real issues either.

The only parts I hate are the bridge over Albion station and the bit before scumshine police station heading home... (just opp bunnings)

iaintas wrote:yeah i would be pretty happy with a 40-45km round trip commute, but the +1 would drive, she is can work at the Mercy and Womens and Monash hospitals so it limits it to the eastern side of the city a bit. Im going to Alfred or stay at home dad!

Although it's far from Hipsterville, medium distances along the Dandenong train line (say Caulfield to Clayton) give good accessibility to the city by train, bike or car plus access to either the bayside or the hills. That said, going North west/South east through the inner areas in peak hour - especially involving crossing the river can be very tedious by means other than by bike.

VRE wrote:I've been in Ringwood North since Nov 2011 and have enjoyed it. My round-trip commute is 60.5km daily, but I'm used to it. It's an ideal location for starting hill-climbing rides, being <15km from Mt Dandenong, 45km from Kinglake Central and 57km from Warburton , so naturally I've ridden to those 3 places on numerous occasions.

Apologies for the OT post.. how do you usually get to Warburton? I've gone via Gembrook but it means 180km return (from Blackburn). Also returned via the Warburton Hwy on Sunday but wasn't thrilled with it trafficwise.

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